The present invention relates to a drive installation consisting of electronic and electromechanical elements to obtain continuous speed ratios without intermediate moveable parts, applicable to seeders, fertilizing machines and/or the like, specially created to be used in seeders, even in those whose seeding drive gear includes the fertilizer dispensing assembly.
More precisely, the present patent of invention protects a special drive installation created to act as a command and drive resource of the seed dispensing devices as well as fertilizer dispensing devices, as the case may be, contained in the agricultural machinery for said purpose, including the seed sorter assemblies, as well as the fertilizer dosing devices.
The present invention relates to a totally electronic drive installation which includes speed transducers and information processing elements associated to command devices for engines and/or motoreducers, directly integrated to said assemblies.
The basic novelty is that all the mechanic elements currently used by agricultural machines of the type mentioned above are eliminated, namely: gears, chains, motion boxes, engagements, hydraulic motors, etc., and they are replaced by velocity sensors and microprocessors which command the rate flow performed by seed and/or fertilizer dispensers for their function.
It relates to an adequate installation to apply in fertilizing machines, single or dual, self-propelled or driven, as well as seeders for coarse or fine grains, also self-propelled or driven.
The invented drive installation uses a particular main member, which will be called xe2x80x9cdriving unitxe2x80x9d hereinafter, and which has been specially designed to control and command the dispensers movement according to the different parameters and variables involved in seeding and fertilization cores, said information being processed and forwarded from an xe2x80x9cintelligent central unitxe2x80x9d (also commonly known as a central processing unit, or, CPU).
If drive installations of movement in the seed and/or fertilizer dispensers currently known are analyzed, three systems may be determined, according to their degree of complexity, namely, those where the dispensers take up control from a single wheel belonging to the train of motion so that, based on the floor, it rotates with its feed; those typically called xe2x80x9chalf swingxe2x80x9d, because they use two wheels belonging to the train of motion, from where the movement is taken towards its respective sector on it; those where there are also two drive wheels, but the driving of a differential is included to secure the same number of turns in all the dispensers in the machine.
As it is known, these drive installations use engagements in the drive wheel, an intermediary countershaft, a gearbox (or replacement engagements), a hydraulic motor, a cardan axle or shaft extending as far as the different dispensers.
All these drive assemblies become necessary because the dispensers use rotatory mechanisms to perform their function, therefore, it becomes essential to bring a rotation movement to them.
As defined above, in most cases, this movement is taken from one or two of the holding up wheels belonging to the machine train of motion.
In all the cases, they are drive installations resorting to the use of toothed wheels and chains, where means allowing for the modification of the drive ratio should be inserted; they may consist of gearboxes, of the type lodging engagements in an oil bath, with selector levers, or the well known integral multiple toothed wheels gear changes on the same axle, performing the modification of the engagement due to the displacements of the chain interrelating them. Typically, they use sets of coaxial toothed wheels having a different radius and being replaceable.
It becomes clear from the aforementioned, that any of the engagement systems referred may have one or two different inlet and/or outlet ratios which, in turn, multiply the quantity of apparent changes.
In this manner, drive ratio ranges are achieved, such as: 40, 54, 64 or 81 changes, according to the different manufacturers. In all the cases, the movement achieved is transmitted to a cardan shaft that joins all the fertilizer dispensers, or in any case, to all the seeding modules.
With these mechanic resources, fertilizer dispensing can also be regulated, or, in any case, the seed that is being planted. Typically, a fertilization table or seeding table provided by the manufacturer is used, where the movement of the driving wheel is related to the cardan shaft transmitting movement to the dosing grinders. Said operation is performed on the corresponding motion box and/or its respective engagements and chains.
For these well known cases, the most commonly used dispensers are: the horizontal star type, the upright shaft type, where the number of turns of the star per each advance meter of the machine is fixed (constant driving ratio) and the dose is regulated by the size of fertilizer outlet port.
Those having a toothed wheel and horizontal shaft, made of plastic material and having oblique teeth, of the xe2x80x9cchevronxe2x80x9d type are also typically used. They may be pulley or grooved roller type. The dose is regulated changing the drive ratio by means of a box, i.e., modifying the number of turns of the dispenser per each advance meter of the machine.
For the regulation of seed dispensing in which the variation of the seeding density must be stated, it should be determined how much each dispenser must throw per each advance meter of the machine. As defined, for setting up work, the xe2x80x9cseeding tablesxe2x80x9d provided by the manufacturer are also used.
Generally, a first calibration is performed in the static, as well as in the dynamic procedure, regulating the machine according to said xe2x80x9ctablexe2x80x9d, checking the results. If they are not close to the theoretical and practical values, the mechanisms should be adjusted to achieve the intended results, always working on the engagements and gearboxes.
It should be noted that in the new agricultural accuracy practices, where the dose should vary for different areas within the same batch, it is necessary to use new control elements that achieve said objective and/or are able to vary the drive ratio constantly.
In certain cases, it is necessary to separate the operation of the kinematic train which drives the different dispensers from the wheel of the machine itself. For this purpose, hydraulic motors, capable of varying the number of revolutions they produce, are used. These hydraulic motors supply movement to the rest of the traditional kinematic train. The hydraulic source may come from the dragging tractor, through a connection to the circuit in the equipment prepared for said purpose. In tractors having a hydraulic system not equipped for these uses, an independent hydraulic pump is installed, having its corresponding oil storage, and being driven by the power intake.
When granulated insecticides, as well as the seeds are applied on the drills where the seeds are planted, other hoppers with mechanic dispensers are used, thus adjusting the dose by means of the change in the kinematic train drive index.
It may also be added that the seed dispenser is the member in charge of controlling the seed flow, according to the seeding rate required by the crop.
From the operative viewpoint, typically, each seed is treated as an isolated particle, individualized from the rest. For this purpose, two types of dispensers are known, namely, mechanic, which, in turn, may be horizontal or oblique, and pneumatic.
In both cases, the above mentioned individualization consists of placing each seed on each of the perforations of a rotatory clamp which lets them exit one by one.
In these cases, the regulation of the seeding rate is always carried out by means of the machine transmission box, with which the speed of the feeding star is varied and by means of the position of the shuttering plate that must be adopted for each rate.
High working velocities are not always possible in mechanic dispensers. In this sense, it should be considered that high velocities not only affect the quality of distribution but the seed delivery security may be impaired, as well in certain mechanisms.
From the above, it is clear that all the agricultural machines of the type mentioned above, are based on the principle of obtaining a variable ratio between the driving wheel and the cardan axle or dosing axle that moves the dispensing and distributing members, using complex mechanic systems which include: engagements, chains, gearboxes, clutches, mechanic shifters, articulated cardan shafts, hydraulic systems, etc.
It should be noted that, as a consequence of the use of said mechanic drive installations, a series of drawbacks become apparent; the following are the most significant:
Complex movement systems
Complex calibration boxes and setting up
Multiple reducer boxes, engagements and chains
Multiple cardan shafts with difficulties for alignment
Need of strict and continuous maintenance
Periodical lubrication system
Much time spent in assembling the mechanic systems ex-works.
Uneven wear of the engagements.
Large quantities of pieces which are necessary to keep as spare parts.
Difficult change of the distance between the drills.
Higher costs for storing spare parts stock at the distributors"" facilities.
Complex system of variation of the fertilization rate (kg/ha)
Complex system of variation of seeding rate
Range of stepped fertilization rate.
Range of stepped seeding rate.
Need to stop the xe2x80x9cequipmentxe2x80x9d to perform the variation of fertilization rate.
Need to stop the xe2x80x9cequipmentxe2x80x9d to perform the variation of seeding rate.
Higher total weight of the equipment
Longer downtime due to breakings and/or pieces wear.
Great complexity to transform the machine from rating condition to transport condition.
Problems with accumulation of dust/grease on the engagements and chains.
Larger quantity of pieces exposed to blows and/or breakings.
It would be desirable to have an apparatus that would be able to dispense fluid and granular material.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description of embodiments of the invention, when taken in conjunction with the appended claims.